Salim Lamrani

Reporters without Borders Keeps silence about journalist tortured in Guantánamo

Salim Lamrani — 2006-02-07T09:53:00Z

The silence kept by the «freedom-of-the-press» Reporters without border (RSF) organization about Sudanese journalist Sami al Hajj raises many questions on the impartiality of that association headed by Robert Menard. RSF, which is always willing to stigmatize- usually arbitrarily- those countries targeted by Washington such as Cuba, Venezuela and China, has fully ignored the torture suffered by Al Hajj, a journalist with Qatar's Al Jazeera TV chain.

On September 22, 2001, Al Jazeera sent a team of reporters, including Al Hajj, to find out about the conflict in Afghanistan. After 18 days of journalistic work, the team went to Pakistan. In December 2001, Al Hajj decided to return to the place with his colleagues to cover the inauguration of the new Afghan government, but before he reached the border, the Pakistani police arrested the Sudanese journalist and released the rest of the Qatari team.

Once handed over to Afghanistan-based US authorities, Al Hajj would experience a true nightmare at the Bagram air force base. «those were the worst [days] of my life», he said. Hajj revealed that he faced sexual abuse and rape threats US soldiers; he was fiercely tortured for months and he mistreated in countless occasions. He was forced to kneels down on the floor for hours. Dogs would constantly hound and attack him. The Sudanese journalist was also jailed in a cage located in a hangar facing glacial wind. He explained how his torturers pulled his hair out of his head and his beard, one by one. The guards would regularly beat him and prohibited him to take a bath for one hundred days although his body was covered with lice. (...)

- / Voltaire Network

U.S. & Cuba

Salim Lamrani — 2005-02-05T02:21:00Z

Translated by Barbara & David Forbes.

In order to achieve their avowed objective of destroying the Cuban revolution, the USA has several different strings to its bow. Apart from the economic sanctions condemned by the entire international community (1), various acts of violence and sabotage from the realms of international terrorism, or the intensive misinformation campaign minutely detailed in Colin Powell's report, Washington has also organised an internal opposition which is easily manipulated and loyal to her every wish. (2) (...)

- / ZNet

Cuba after the 2004 US elections

Salim Lamrani — 2004-12-05T01:30:00Z

Translated by Barbara and David Forbes.

In November 2004, George Bush was easily re-elected to the presidency of the United States for a further four years, with the largest majority of votes in the history of the country. This election does not augur at all well for relations between Havana and Washington. The aggressive US policy towards Cuba has followed its course, true to its declared objectives of wiping out the social system on the island. In addition to its international propaganda campaign, the Bush administration has increased its quite brazen activities aimed at further harassing the Cuban population. (...)

[December 03, 2004]

- / ZNet

Propaganda War Against Cuba

Salim Lamrani — 2004-11-11T05:57:00Z

Translated by Barbara and David Forbes

Further to the strategy declared in Colin Powell's report « Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba», whose aim is to lead the Cuban revolutionary process towards its complete annihilation, the campaign of misinformation against the Caribbean island,launched by the Bush administration and the Cuban extreme right in Florida, has spread widely into Europe. In fact, from 17th to 19th September 2004 the « International Summit for Democracy in Cuba » was held in Prague in the Czech Republic, under the auspices of the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba, which was founded by the former Czech president Vaclav Havel. This meeting, the propaganda impact of which is beyond doubt, marked a new phase in the American media war against Cuba, with the collusion of the European Union.

- / ZNet

Cuba-Panama

Salim Lamrani — 2004-09-30T02:23:00Z

Translated by David and Barbara Forbes

Relations between Cuba and Panama have recently deteriorated noticeably after the Cuban ambassador in Panama, Carlos Rafael Zamora, was declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country. The Panamanian ambassador in Cuba, Abraham Bárcenas, was also re-called by his government. (...)

- / ZNet

New Upsurge of American Aggression against Cuba

Salim Lamrani — 2004-08-07T04:44:22Z

Translated by Gilbert Sanseau and Barbara Forbes, volunteer translators from Coorditrad.

The American hostility against Cuba is very distinctive, and indeed unique. No other foreign policy toward a country has ever seen such an arsenal of coercive measures which, for the most part, violate most international conventions. The American hatred for the Cuban revolution goes much further than the historical Cold War framework, completely inopportune if even minimal attention is paid to the relations between the two countries since the end of the eighteenth century. (...) [Published online on August 05, 2004]

- / ZNet